Short term missions is good.

I have been on 6 short term missions trips; helped set up 6 more; have 10 to 20 friends that are either currently longterm in the field or have been (and I miss them all). Added together, the time overseas is more then a year. I live for it and would like to live in one of these countries. Right now, it is not what I am to do. I’m to stay in North America and encourage people to see, feel, act—to love. Today, I am thinking that short term is anything less then 2 years.

To begin this blog, I want to first put a few things on the table: all believers are part of one Body (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12); believers are to love one another and that shows our true colours (John 13:35); there is a chain of mission that is important—there are people that send and people that go and we are all important (Romans 10: 14-17). Here it is, short term missions is about connection, vision, and experience (i think all of these are part of love).

First, the short term effort needs to be connected into long term vision. With long term workers on the ground. The Body needs connection. Where are treasure is there our hearts go also. Its in the Bible and quoted in the final Harry Potter book. The Body needs to be connected to other pieces of the Body and to the people who don’t know Jesus through money, time, mind, and prayer.

Second, people need their worldviews expanded. Believers need a bigger vision. Believers need to ask and be able to find out what is Jesus’ vision (purpose, direction, transformation) for this land? for my homeland? for myself? for the team we go with? What is really happening right now? The time needs to be vision rich. A friend once told me “If you can do the dream yourself, it is too small.” Proverbs says without vision, people perish. Short term missions is about life!

Third, people need to get God’s heart for the people we work with. This is what experiencing something is all about. Taste, smell, listen, see, FEEL what other peoples’ lives are like. It will break your heart if you let it. Heartbreak is truly a good and deep thing. Don’t run or harden your hearts from the pain. I don’t believe our Father hardens His heart against the pain of humanity. Jesus took it all on for all time. Could we not let some of it penetrate our hearts for certain people for the brief period of our lives here on earth. Short term missions creates long term heartbreak. This is not easy but it is good.

I know there are some poo-pooers out there. Old school long term didn’t/doesn’t want “novices” to come over and mess everything up. They don’t want to babysit. This is a very bad attitude to have and perpetuate. We should want to work with and be part of the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Some of the issues can be solved by preparation, training. facilitation, and debrief. Issues can be solved by matching the type of team to the location and the work. I would suggest these longterm workers need to get over past hurts (forgiveness and reconciliation), get over themselves, and re-align with God’s heart.

How do people get better unless they practice? Unless they have a teacher the will help them? How do they get a heart unless they see, taste, feel and love the people and the long term woker? Opening your life and heart may result in hurt but it is worth it and it is Jesus’ example. Some may say it is worth the risk. Risk is not the right paradigm to look at the world as a Believer. What is the Jesus example and the Jesus command? Is it truly risky if we are following Him irregardless the human outcome of getting hurt or falling on our face?

I have heard that the money for a team to go should be sent over without the people. This view assumes that money makes a transformational difference (this is a humanist/economist worldview and not a Biblical one). People that love and act like Jesus make a bigger difference then a few thousand dollars. Then of course there are (if you are Canadian or American) legal and accountability reasons for not doing this with money.

I have also heard “why go someplace else, there is so much to do here?” My answer is we have a Both/and God. We can travel to places where there are few to no Believers and be a blessing and do things here in our own backyard. It has been my experience that people that go away are more likely to jump on board with things here at home. In other words, there are 52 weeks in a year. Take 3 for short term work and you have 49 at home. Or there are 12 months in a year. Take 6 for short term work. That leaves the exact same amount for here at home where there are tones (comparatively) of believers.

The current growth trend of short term missions is good. May it get better. Actually getting out and doing something is pretty radical. It changes the participants. More will go longer and longer term. Peoples’ hearts stay in a place that they have sown into with time, talent, and treasure. Accept that it will be messy and move on. Trust God with the details of His commandments do not ever stop someone from going!

Ultimately, the thing is Jesus told us to do it. So do it.